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OPINION

We need to remember our connections in times of tragedies

Father David Polich, Osceola, Letter to the Editor
Published 5:10 p.m. CT Sept. 14, 2017

My father, who was left-handed, had special radar for other southpaws. In Latin the word for "left" was "sinister," and Dad probably knew there was strength in numbers for a group persecuted through no fault of their own. He also gravitated to other Croatians and to union members. All were people with whom he shared much in common and felt at ease.

It is typical that in times of disaster we recognize more connections. Frequently we have heard of late "We are all Iowans" or "We are all Texans" or, on Sept. 11, "We are all Americans," as we reach out to perfect strangers struggling with unforeseen woes. We are, of course, all citizens of planet Earth. This includes righties, Serbians, factory foremen, Kenyans, Thais, politicians and all the rest.

We need to hang on to the little learned lessons and remind ourselves of them until we retain some common sense in between tragedies — lest we cause even greater ones.